Project

Running Head: HEALTHCARE 1

Asset Mapping

Joseph Toole

Case Studies in Public Health

18 April 2017

Introduction

Continued efforts to embrace and implement healthcare reforms will bring the desired change in the healthcare services delivery as well as healthcare insurance. Community health centers play an important role in ensuring reliable access to healthcare services to millions of Americans. This article explores various ways healthcare services are delivered. The article in divided into two sections whereby the first section involves the case study questions response and the second part involves research on community health care centers in Kansas.

Big Brother is Watching case study

Could a system like this have helped improve Mr. Miller's situation?

Yes. Since Mr. Miller is advanced in age, the prescription suggested by his physician would have obviously invoked alert on the system. The alert would have made the physician to think twice about the medication whether to ignore the alert or consider changing the medication based on age.

Would a system like this have helped Mr. Miller's geriatrician convey health information more effectively, and thereby enhance Mr. Miller's medication adherence?

The system focusing on patient’s medication adherence would be of great help to Mr. Miller's geriatrician. After reviewing Mr. Miller's medical information, geriatrician would have suggested the combination of the medication that she intended to offer. The technology would then send the same information to the set of healthcare professions panel for review. Once the review is done, the panel would have conquered with Mr. Miller's geriatrician prescription or offered the most effective alternative. By subjecting one's prescriptions into review by other medical professionals, the chances of making physician mistakes would have been greatly reduced. The joint consultation facilitated by the technology would boost Miller's adherence to the prescribed drug.

If this system had been in place in the pharmacy where Mr. Miller had filled his prescriptions, what reviews of his existing and new medications might have been performed? To what effect?

If the system were present in the pharmacy where Mr. Miller filled his prescriptions, the medication would have been reviewed to determine whether it falls under the beer class. In case the review confirmed positive, Mr. Millar would have been served with an alternative drug. The new medication would also have been subjected to reviews aiming at establishing its detrimental effects. Where the detrimental effects would be marked worse for elderly, Millers would have been offered with alternative medication safe for his condition.

Kansas Community Health Centers

Services offered involve primary healthcare as well as comprehensive health care regardless of whether it’s insured, underinsured or not insured at all.

Population trend of Kansas

Like any other state within the United States Kansas continues to experience population increase. The population rate of growth is concentrated in the urban areas while the rural areas are experiencing slow population decline. Kansas has population diversity in terms of race and ethnic composition (Berg-Copas, Ahlers-Schmidt, Wetta-Hall, & Cook, 2009). Increased population diversity can be attributed to ever increasing migration. People from different parts of the world are running away from their country of birth to others regions in search of peace, quality education, jobs among many other reasons. Kansas in particular attracted and continues to attract many migrants who end up working in the food processing factories and other industries.

In 1960's Kansas was dominated by native white, but the trend changed back in 1988. Currently, the predominant whites are of the Hispanic origins. Due to increased number of immigrants, the rate of mortality is high among the Black Americans and other minority groups (Williams & Collins, 2002). The high rate of mortality may be attributed to poor health care services. The new immigrants increased pressure on the scarce healthcare resources thus shifting the demands for healthcare into a new level.

Education is used in many places as a tool for ending challenges facing the healthcare sector. Many research studies have established the positive link between education and the quality of healthcare services provided . Although Kansas has embraced policies that ensure quality education for all, discrimination remains a real major challenge in many of the learning institutions (Berg-Copas, Ahlers-Schmidt, Wetta-Hall, & Cook, 2009). The discrimination activities always target the minority groups within the region.

The economic status for the majority of those living within Kansas is low. Majority cannot afford to buy health care insurance for themselves or their families (Berg-Copas, Ahlers-Schmidt, Wetta-Hall, & Cook, 2009). The situation forces majority to seek healthcare services from the community health centers. The large share of those uninsured and not covered by any other medical schemes comes from the rural areas. The Kansas population is kind of balanced in terms of gender.

Other social services offered within Kansas that support healthcare systems

Community health care workers go beyond their profession to offer other social services that ensure that the population remains healthy and informed. They provide training to the community on available opportunities that would uplift their living standards by avoiding health problems (Williams & Collins, 2002). Such opportunities include dietary consideration. Community workers also at times mentor youths and counsel them on the importance of avoiding risky behaviors such as drugs and substances abuse.

Non-governmental organizations provide social support to the Kansas people through their volunteer programs. One of the many social supports includes psychological support to the patients ailing from chronic diseases. The support helps the patients and their families to face the condition with boldness and lead positive life despite the challenge. Where the families are economically poor some of the organization provides support in terms of scholarship as a way of restoring hope in families.

Barriers to access to health care

In Kansas, many barriers are making it hard for the residents to access healthcare. One of the barriers includes lack of funds. Not all the healthcare centers within the Kansas qualify to receive funding from the federal government (Change). In other words, not all the health centers are recognized by the federal government. The situation leaves many especially from the rural areas with no means to access to healthcare. Some people in Kansas are forced to travel for many kilometers so as to locate community health care centers that cover uninsured patients.

There is a challenge in recruiting and retaining competent health care professionals such as surgeons, dentists, and nurses. The rural areas have acute shortages of medical professionals. In additions, not all the medical professionals will be willing to work or engage with medically underserved groups or communities (Berg-Copas, Ahlers-Schmidt, Wetta-Hall, & Cook, 2009). Medical professionals may opt not to work in those areas despite having modern facilities and technologies. The absence of medical specialists and consultants forms a barrier to access to healthcare.

Recommendations for improved quality healthcare

National Associations of community health workers must partner with other organizations to secure more resources and funds. Increased funding will help healthcare centers to expand to the furthest rural areas and to reach all the uninsured patients (Berg-Copas, Ahlers-Schmidt, Wetta-Hall, & Cook, 2009). Expansion of the healthcare centers will enable them to serve more people. The expansion would also ensure healthcare services are brought within reach of many who are economically poor.

Health care centers need to be provided with all the kinds of healthcare professionals and specialists. Majority of the uninsured patients seeking healthcare services at community health centers suffers from chronic diseases and conditions (Braveman & Gruskin, 2003). The patients lack the capacity to seek specialized healthcare services from private physician offices and clinics . So as to provide quality healthcare to all community healthcare centers should be supplied with specialists.

References

Berg-Copas, G. M., Ahlers-Schmidt, C. R., Wetta-Hall, R., & Cook, D. J. (2009). Perspectives of Health Care Issues in Rural Kansas Communities: An Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Kansas Journal of Medicine 2009, 62-70.

Braveman, P., & Gruskin, S. (2003). Defining equity in health. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57, , 254-258.

Change, C. f. (n.d.). Disparities in access to medical care. The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

Kimminau, k. S., Huang, C. C., McGlasson, D., & Kim, J. (2005). Smiles across Kansas: 2004 oral health report of Kansas youth. Topeka: Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Williams, D. R., & Collins, C. (2002). U.S. socioeconomic and racial differences in health. In T. A. LaViest (Ed.) Race, ethnicity and health (pp. 391-431). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.